


head in the clouds (but my gravity's centred)

by pocketharold



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, Merry Christmas, ho ho HO, i had another but it was too angsty, lots of fluff and larry and cat mentionings, oh well, okay so this is my christmas thing, yay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-25
Updated: 2013-12-25
Packaged: 2018-01-06 02:30:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1101314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pocketharold/pseuds/pocketharold
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Harry made Niall bring him along the the incredibly attractive Louis Tomlinson's Christmas party this was the last thing he expected to happen.<br/>or<br/>After an incredibly awkward silence Louis shoves one mitten covered hand (oh my god when did he get mittens how cute oh my god) in Harry's direction and asks, "If you're feeling a bit better now want to go for a walk?"<br/>Harry ignores the diminishing throb of his brain and allows Louis to pull him up, following as Louis begins traipsing down the dark road, lit only by small yellow pools of light cast by the street lamps.</p>
            </blockquote>





	head in the clouds (but my gravity's centred)

**Author's Note:**

> Edited by only me whoops sorry if it has some mistakes

"This is ridiculous!" Liam groans as Harry sighs and tugs on yet another stupid Christmas sweater - this one adorned with a stitched snowman with a top hat and all - modelling it briefly before throwing it aside with the rest. "How many bloody sweaters do you have?"

"It's SWEATER WEATHER Liam; I can't just go to the party looking stupid! I. NEED. TO. STAND. OUT." Harry wails, flopping back onto the couch with a defeated sigh. The raggedy couch squeaks in protest and he groans even louder, "Even the couch doesn't like me!"

"I like you!" Niall calls from the kitchen, poking his head out, blue eyes glimmering with amusement.

"That's only because I give you free access to my larder." 

Niall answers only with a laugh and Harry - he does this a lot at the moment as you can probably tell - moans like a bad tempered toddler. He throws another sweater across the room in exasperation and turns over so his face is smushed into the pillows. Liam sighs and Harry is 99% sure that he is folding his sweaters. Clean Freak.

"heyharryheyharryheyharryheyharryheyharryheyharryheyharry-"

"Niall, go away for god sakes. I'm having an existential crisis at the moment." He mumbles miserably into the cat fur covered couch pillow, kicking the couch arm rest for dramatic effect.

"Suit yourself. I was just going to suggest you wear something completely non christmasy. Y'know, something that will make you look like you're not trying super hard."

Harry's neck almost breaks at the speed that it snaps up and away from the foul smelling pillow, eyes falling upon Niall in what can only be described as worship.

"YOU'RE A GENIUS!" Harry bellows, jumping to his feet to wrap Niall up in a hug to which Niall returns because, well, he is Niall. "I LOVE YOU!"

Then he turns and races back into his room, and because of his awful lack of coordination manages to knock over Liam's freshly folded stack of ugly christmas sweaters (Liam sighs again and restarts while Niall sings Christmas Carols really loudly because he's Niall and no one is really surprised.)

Harry digs out his favourite and most, in his opinion, flattering sweater from the wardrobe and lets out a grand woop of victory. It has Teenage Runaway in massive letters on it and is a dark navy colour; Liam says it is hipster trash but Harry likes it and for some reason his cat (Pedro) has an odd obsession with it. Speaking of Pedro, he almost gives Harry a heart attack when he puts it on only to find there is a half asleep and very angry cat inside of it already. He manages to get it on with minor scratches and a only slightly pissed off Pedro; he struts over to the mirror and allows himself a quick once over - he looks good. His 'jeggings' as Niall calls them are tight as hell but totally worth it because they make his legs look amazing and Louis might notice.

Once Harry styles (haha get it) his hair into a beanie perfectly so that little curls poke out here and there, he emerges from the closet to greet a very frustrated Liam and a very excited Niall. See, the thing is, Harry and Liam are not what you would call popular and Niall is what you would call semipopular. He's not extremely popular but he is known and loved throughout the school; he's just one of those people. He also happens to be acquainted (thats all he cares to admit) with a certain Zayn Malik, who is a certain Louis Tomlinson's best friend. Somehow Niall managed to get them invited to some big popular end of year Christmas party and now all Harry wants is to get Louis' attention.

Harry has spoken to Louis a couple times, but it's quite hard when he sits up the front constantly and Louis sits up the back constantly; it also doesn't help that girls throw themselves at Louis like they would a celebrity. 

Harry feeds the cat and pets him thoroughly to make up for the sweater incident, and thankfully Pedro returns to his usual cuddly state of being. Once that is done Liam quite literally drags him out the front door just to escape Niall's recitation of the 12 Days of Christmas Spanish Edition. Niall, slightly downtrodden but peppy as ever is forced to cut short his recitation which he vows will be continued, unless he gets drunk, to follow the two out to the car.

Liam drives them to the party in his car and once they park he demands they stay in the car until he has given them a set of rules to follow:

niall is not allowed to go skinny dipping again  
niall is not allowed to call a pizza place and ask for a penis pizza again  
niall is NOT allowed to accept mysteriously odd smelling brownies again (last time was bad enough)  
niall is not allowed to ditch Harry or embarrass him at awkward times (Harry insinuated that this rule be made)  
harry is not allowed to get smashed lest he do something he regrets like try to chat up louis with a cheesy pick up line  
The party is loud and bustling and full of familiar faces without names. The house is packed with girls that are either undressed or overly dressed and they stalk around, eyeing up the male occupants like a lion would to it's prey. Liam is looking nervous and muttering various warnings and anxious things under his breath that Harry can't hear over the heavy bass pumping from two precariously placed speakers, and Niall is already rushing over to the bar to find a drink. Harry worms through the people, keeping his eyes on Niall as he makes his way over to find Niall downing some kind of vodka cocktail.

Niall sculls it in a matter of seconds and grabs a second drink before leading Harry out into the main area, all the while greeting people that Harry doesn't even know with a friendly grin and a raise of his glass. Harry sticks to hiding behind Niall, self consciously lowering his head until his face is partially hidden below the admittedly broad expanse of Niall's jumper clad shoulders. People rush around them and Harry is surprised that Niall's claustrophobia hasn't kicked in yet, usually he'd be pissing himself in a situation such as this. He shrugs off the thought and clings harder to Niall, feeling the vibrations through his back as Niall lets out a long, slightly slurred cackle. 

Eventually Niall manages to push through a crowd of grinding drunks and he plops himself down on a expensive looking leather couch, gesturing for Harry to do the same. Harry raises a single brown eyebrow but sits down anyway because he'd rather do that than be ground on....unless it was Louis...in that case...

"Hey! I think I see a certain blue eyed bombshell." Niall giggles, not bothering to lower his voice due to the loud atmosphere surrounding them. 

"Where? Whereeeee?" Harry's green eyes flash around the room, trying to see through the suspicious looking smoke slowly polluting the air and the thick masses of bodies; Niall chuckles at his eagerness.

"Slow down tiger, you might want to collect yourself, he looks pretty good tonight." He warns him, cerulean eyes protective and somewhat serious, not like Niall at all. "Plus, wouldn't want you jumping him in public."

"Heeeeeeeeeeey!" Harry whacks him on the arm and then he sees him. 

Louis rests against the curve of the stair rail, adorned in a not so festive denim jacket with skinny jeans that cup his perfect legs. Harry feels his heart speed up just at the sight of him, those outrageous cheekbones and his stone cut jawline, speckled with stubble that should be illegal. His hair is styled up into a sort of effortless half quiff, simply brushed out of his face in a way that makes him look so attractive, Harry really wants to bend him over a couch and-

"Zayn looks nice." Harry snaps out of it to stare at Niall who for once in his life looks genuinely embarrassed, cheeks burning red.

"You totally like Zayn!" Harry gasps, and giggles historically when Niall claps a hand over his mouth and pulls him down out of sight into the couch cushions.

"SHHHHHHHHH! HE MIGHT HEAR YOU BIGMOUTH!" Niall squeals like a pig and pouts down at Harry who is still cackling away from where Niall has pinned him. 

"Mmmmmm, I dunno Ni, this is pretty special information." Harry's mouth quirks up at the side and Niall's mouth widens in horror, jaw slackening as he gazes above Harry's head. Harry slowly tilts his gaze up and practically inhales Niall when he meets eyes with Louis.

"No sex on this couch please, it's kind of expensive. If you must find a room." He offers them a small grin and tugs on Zayn's arm who ogles Niall for a second too long to be just friendly.  
Harry's heart practically stops. Hell, his whole world just halted in it's axis. He just made an idiot out of himself in front of the guy he has pined over for the past year, and Louis didn't even eye him up like Zayn did. Zayn was practically eye raping Niall but nooooooo, Harry got the 'you horny bastard you' look that he always seems to get even when he's not up to anything. 

"Urghhhhhhhh." Harry covers his face with his hands and wails into them, all laughter and eagerness dissipating rapidly. Niall yanks him up and shoots him a similar look of horror and shame, blue eyes more sobered than they were just minutes ago. Something twists in Harry's gut as he spies Louis walking off to chat to some other partygoers and he suddenly doesn't feel like partying anymore.

"Uh, Niall, i'm gonna go grab a drink, okay?" 

Niall shoots him a concerned look but nods, briefly latching onto him in a classic Niall/Koala grip. Harry rolls his eyes but forces a smile, wandering off in search of the kitchen. He snags himself some kind of strong looking drink and gulps half of it down in seconds, relishing in the burn it leaves in its wake. He grabs another for the trip and ambles from the room in search of the front door, head already feeling slightly fuzzy. God, did someone spike the drinks or was it just really strong?

He shrugs and takes another sip of his drink, stumbling into someone as he rushes out of the party. His head has started to ache from the noise and the alcohol and all he wants now is to leave, pretend the night never happened. 

"Oi, you almost spilt your drink on me!" A familiar voice squeaks, and he feels someone swat at him from behind.

Harry whirls around, murmuring a dazed "Ohuh?" and flushes bright when he realises it is Louis, whom he just embarrassed himself in front of.

"Oh, it's you from the couch! What, did he ditch you because he's straight or something?" Louis laughs lightly, voice high and tinkly and magical and...Harry could go on forever.

When Harry only just manages a weak chuckle Louis' brow furrows in concern and he peers closer at Harry, brushing his fingers on Harry's clammy forehead. If Harry weren't feeling like absolute shit right now he would be flustered as hell right now.

"Hey mate, are you okay?"

Louis' voice sounds kind of far away and Harry is feeling sicker by the second, head whirling and slow. He just manages a shake of the head when Louis is gripping him by the arm and dragging him outside. The fresh air hits him like a tsunami and he gasps, letting the cool air soothe his heated skin. Louis continues to pull him along until they are sitting at the bottom of his driveway, Harry swaying lightly. He can feel the sick brewing in his throat but he holds it down because no matter how awful he feels he will not throw up in front of Louis. 

"That better?" Louis asks and Harry manages a weak nod, falling back onto the soft, dewy grass of Louis' front yard. The ground seems to wobble slightly but it soon settles and though Harry's head throbs irritably, he feels a bit better than he did before.

He opens his eyes after a short while and half expects Louis to be gone, bored or uninterested in the little scene Harry made at his party. But no, Louis is fucking sitting there still, big blue eyes round and curious, and licks slick and slightly parted and kissable. Harry averts his eyes from his lips and brings them up to gaze at his face like a normal person.

"Um, thanks for helping me Louis. That's real nice of you. Most people would probably have left me to die or something." Harry chuckles grimly but clutches his head lightly, a reminder of the throb in his skull.

"No problem, Harry." Louis says and wait, he knows his name???? what???? how????? "I'm not quite sure why you are feeling like this but my best guess is Nick fucking Grimshaw putting some kind of strong alcohol in the drinks. Prick..." He mutters, staring out at the concrete road.

"I wasn't actually having sex with Niall on the couch. He tackled me to hide from someone." Harry blurts without thinking, flushing beet red at himself.

Louis surprises him by laughing loudly, his high tinkling laugh echoing in the empty street. The party is merely a dull roar behind them. 

"Oh god, that's hilarious. Who was he hiding from?" Louis asks, eyes crinkled up cutely at the sides and oh god what was he going to say??

"Um, he was kind of hiding from...your friend Zayn? I think he has a thing for him?" Oh well, it's best to be honest anyway and Niall doesn't hold grudges for very long.

Louis laughs even harder at that and Harry worries he's said the wrong thing, potentially ruined Niall's reputation or something.

"That's absolutely rich! Zayn's obsessed with that little blond thing I swear! He has literally said to me before 'oh my god look at him he looks like a right twink'"

Laughter bursts from between Harry's cold lips before he can restrain himself and he cackles embarrassingly loud, the cringe inducing guffaw rebounding and resounding throughout the cold dark street. Blood rushes to his cheeks in embarrassment and he sits up sheepishly, gazing up at Louis through his eyelashes. Louis' breath hitches and he stares down at Harry for a long time, a delicate pink gracing his features. 

After an incredibly awkward silence Louis shoves one mitten covered hand (oh my god when did he get mittens how cute oh my god) in Harry's direction and asks, "If you're feeling a bit better now want to go for a walk?"

Harry ignores the diminishing throb of his brain and allows Louis to pull him up, following as Louis begins traipsing down the dark road, lit only by small yellow pools of light cast by the light poles.

"My party kind of bombed, right?" Louis asks after a while of comfortable silence and the sound of their feet padding on the frosty sidewalk in sync. Harry turns to look at him in baffled shock, eyes wide and nose probably red with cold.

"What? No! It's a great party aside from me being a klutz. I could never even get people to come to a party of mine..." Harry splutters and he sincerely hopes he didn't spit on Louis.

"I'd go to your party if you threw one." Louis smiles up at him, lashes framing his sparkling blue eyes and Harry's totally doesn't skip and stutter and stumble at the thought of Louis coming to his party.

"Um, er, so- what is so bad about your party? I thought it was cool!" Harry fumbles on his words, changing the subject out of awkward habit.

Louis gently sloping eyebrows knit together once again in frustration and he sighs, long and loud, "It wasn't meant to be this big or out of control! I just wanted a couple friends and maybe a couple of theirs if they wanted to tag along. What I didn't predict was for every man and their dog to show up and demand alcohol and smokes and loud music. And besides....it's kind of my birthday and nobody even cares."

Harry freezes and turns to gaze at Louis, eyes fond and heart panting at the thought of Louis expecting a small birthday celebration with his friends and ending up with a massive party that everyone just assumed was for Christmas that he would have to deal with tomorrow morning. God did he feel bad for just tagging along like the rest. 

"Oh...i'm so sorry Louis! I shouldn't have just tagged along, I mean, I wouldn't have if it hadn't been for the fact that Niall was going and-"

"Stop freaking out you sap, I asked Zayn to tell Niall to bring you anyway so you would've ended up coming either way. It just sucks that I have to spend it like this." Louis frowns, gazing back up the road and the loud, very lit up party going on inside of his house.

"Oh..." Harry feels butterflies swarm in his stomach and his tummy flips at the thought of LouisLouisLouis specially asking Zayn to get him to come. Oh my. "Well, you don't have to spend it partying. You could spend it with me?" 

Louis' smile drops and Harry feels like jumping straight off a cliff. Him and his big mouth! God, he needs to control it before he gets himself into all sorts of awful situations such as this.

"I'd love to...but only if you stop acting weird!" Louis demands, crossing his thin, tanned arms. Harry only stares at his thick biceps for a moment, can't be too obvious.

"Whatever do you mean?" Harry replies nonchalantly, amazed by his own courage in a time of need. Louis simply rolls his eyes and prods Harry's stomach which (Harry is quite proud of his abs) is quite toned and muscly so he simply rebounds off, eyes widening in shock.

"Oh please you are acting like i'm going to slap you at any moment. I'm not that scary!" 

"Yeah but you are incredibly good looking so." 

Harry slaps a hand over his mouth but the words still come out, loud and proud and not at all what Harry expected. His green eyes bulge and by the looks of things so do Louis'.

"W-what?" Louis murmurs, staring up at Harry bashfully.

"Um, well, I...er I said...you're, um, good looking?" Harry stammers shyly, looking at anything but Louis.

"Well, i'm flattered Harry, and might I say you are rather good looking yourself!" He is acting cool and collected and Harry isn't sure whether it's real or not.

Then a thought from before occurs far too late to him.

"Wait, how did you know my name and how come you wanted me to come tonight? We've never even spoken?"

Now it is Louis' turn to look dumbfounded and mortified, cheeks turning for what seems like the billionth time, a bright shade of crimson. 

"Well, um, you see I have kind of, um, noticed you at school because you know you're good looking and friends with Niall and all that and sometimes you sing in the music rooms and I hear you and you're actually amazing and your curls are really nice and oh god i'm rambling sorry!" 

Harry feels his lips part in a mixture of ohmygod, happiness, ohmygod, shock, ohmygod, horror, louislouislouis and awe.

And somehow all he manages to say is "I don't sing that good." 

And Louis actually slaps him across the face.

"Don't even say that you liar! You sing better than anyone I know except maybe Zayn but he defies all logic so it's still amazing!"

"No, i'm actually not-" Harry bumbles, lip bitten raw and cheeks still ablaze.

"Sing me a song Harry."

"What!?" Harry gasps, staring at Louis who simply shrugs as if it is completely normal to ask someone you technically just met such a question. 

They have stopped on the frosty footpath and snow has just begun to sprinkle down, landing on their jackets in tiny, beautiful patterns. Louis shivers and as an automatic reflex Harry pulls off his sweater and hands it to Louis, leaving him in only a thin white t-shirt.

Louis slowly takes it, sliding it on over his smaller frame and blinks quite adorably up at Harry, eyes wide and nose red and completely engulfed by his sweater.

"Please Harry, it is my birthday after all." And then he smiles wickedly and really this isn't fair but Louis is cute so Harry supposes he can just this once.

"What do you want me to sing?" He asks, shrugging as if he totally isn't trembling with cold and nervousness.

"Isn't She Lovely by Stevie Wonder, I like that song." Louis nods as if agreeing with himself and then turns to Harry smiling wide.

And yes Harry is so ready for this and Louis shall be his because:

"Isn't he lovely  
Isn't he wonderful  
Isn't he precious  
Twenty something years old  
I never thought through love we'd be  
Making one as lovely as he  
But isn't he lovely made from love"  
And Harry doesn't really know what he's doing and his impromptu lyric change is kind of cheesy but Louis face absolutely lights up and he laughs so hard Harry can't help but join in because Louis is just contagious like that and then Louis has gotten so much closer and the party becomes just a dull murmur in the background and all Harry can hear is the blood pounding inside of him and all he can think is LouisLouisLouis and then-

"Kiss me you idiot." Louis chuckles and slowly tilts his mouth towards Harry's in the most cliche of ways and just before their lips meet Harry's watch alarm goes off to signal that it is no longer the 24th of December so he decides to go the whole way and murmurs

"Happy Birthday Lou." Into his mouth and then their lips collide and Harry feels, sees and hears fireworks and the snow is cold and Harry has goosebumps but that's okay because Louis is the best Christmas present he could have ever wished for.


End file.
